The Birmingham city schools chronic financial troubles? Members of the Birmingham Board of Education have only themselves to blame.

Problems with the school system's accreditation agency, AdvanceEd of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools? Members of the city school board have only themselves to blame.

The state takeover of the school system? Members of the school board have only themselves to blame.

Members of the Birmingham Board of Education can complain all they want about this and that, but what they need to do is look long and hard at themselves in a mirror. The dysfunction of the city school system is directly related to the longtime dysfunction of the city Board of Education.

The good news: Two of the five school board members who have caused most of the trouble over the past few years are gone. Board President Edward Maddox was forced to resign last year, and Alana Edwards Haynes stepped down earlier this month. They, along with board members Tyrone Belcher, Emanuel Ford and Virginia Volker, at one time controlled the school board and obstructed most every initiative put forward by Superintendent Craig Witherspoon.

The Gang of Five even tried to fire Witherspoon, but the state takeover ended that misguided effort for now.

School board elections later this year can take care of the mismanagement if Birmingham voters truly care about the future of their school system. The school system needs board members concerned about its overall well-being and improvement, not board members focused on their own petty political fiefdoms.

In the meantime, the school board is considering a state plan that will cut 133 jobs and close seven schools to save about $8 million. AL.com/The Birmingham News' Marie Leech reported the $8 million coupled with the first phase of the financial plan implemented last summer will save the school system close to $19 million. That'll go a long way toward allowing the school district to bank at least one month's worth of operating expenses, a state requirement.

With declining enrollment -- state funding for schools is based on enrollment -- and other challenges, city schools have been in a precarious financial situation for years. The school board, however, refused to be proactive in addressing the challenges.

Even now, the school board doesn't seem to get it. Earlier this month, the board rejected an energy conservation plan that would save the district about $23 million over the next decade.

The state takeover team is looking into whether it can override that bad decision.

Now, the board is faced with more school closings -- never popular under any circumstances -- and with grade reconfigurations of 11 other schools.

The closings, while painful for parents and students, are unfortunately necessary. The Birmingham school system at one time had 70,000 students; enrollment is down to about 25,000 now, but school closings haven't kept up with the student exodus.

Simply put, the school system is overbuilt. Closings and reconfigurations have to occur.

Members of the school board can be part of the solution or they can continue to be part of the problem.

Related Stories

Columnists

Alabama prisons

Through a series of interactive workshops, people shared their concerns about crowded prisons, listed possible actions and identified costs and consequences. What emerged from this exercise are these three possible approaches.